Improvement in track-clearers



JOHNSON &B0LT0N.

Car-Track Clearer. 5

Patented Apr. 21. 1863.

"i Wu D/@Wgwm UNITED ASTATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JOB JOHNSON AND JOSEPH BARBERBOLTON OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACK-CLEARERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,229, dated April 21, 1863.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOB JOHNSON and J osEPH BARBER BOLTON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful 'Irack-Clearer and Wheel-Protector for Railroads; and we do hereby declare the following` to be a full, clear, and exact description of our said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure lis an inverted plan of our trackclearer. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a section longitudinally of the car.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts. y f

Scrapers and brushes have heretofore been .iitted upon the forward ends of locomotiveengines and railroad-cars to remove obstructions; but the rise or depression of the car or engine while under motion would bring such scraper in contact with the track, or else elevate the same soas to be useless, and in case of coming in contact with a spike or the end of a rail said scraper would not rise clear of the same, but be broken or else stop the car. This particularly has been the case with scrapers fitted to horse-cars on city-railroads.

Our invention overcomes all these difficulties; and it consists in a track clearer or scraper upon a sliding rod, inclined backward and upward, and provided with a springin such a manner that the scraper rises as it yields in sliding back with said inclined rod in order to lift any article that may be'upon the track and capable of being lifted, and by the inclination of such scrapers throw the same off to the side, and in case the article taken by the scraper is immovable, such as the end of a rail or a spike-head, the yielding of the scraper causing it to run back, and upraises the scraper until it pass over any such obstruction. We also make use of a lever in combination with such track-clearer for raising or depressing the same in Vaccordance with the position of the car-body on the springs, whereby any additional weight or lurchin g of the car cannot bring the Scrapers violently in contactwith the track, as would otherwise be the case. And we fit such trackclearer so that it can be raised up out of the way when not required.

In the drawings, a represents a portion ot the car or platform to which the said trackclearer is connected. b b are the wheels, of any usuall character. o c are brackets attached to the under side of the platform a, andV receiving the cross-bar d, that forms a hinge for the stocks e e of the track-clearers ff, so that said stocks may swing on the said shaft d as the track-clearers themselves rise and fall. Each track-clearer f is formed of a metallic plate of a shape adapted to the track, and diagonal thereto, and said plate is formed with or connected to a metallic shoe-piece fastened at the end of a slide-bar, g, that passes through the bearing-boxes h l1l on the stock e. These bearing-boxes h hare formed, as represented in Figs. 4 and 5, with composition-boxes l l, recessed into the bed-block 2 and strap 3, and bolts 4 hold these boxes in place on e, and connect the parts together,.at the same time allow the boxes 1 l to be easily replaced in case of wear. Around the slide-bar g is a spring, i, acting between the rear box, h, and a collar on g.

It will now be seen that the track-clearer, resting upon the track, will throw out dirt, snow, stones, or other obstructions that may accumulate; and in case said clearer f strikes against the end of a rail or any other fixed obj ect it will slide back, compressing the spring i, and thereby attaining an elevated position so as to run over such object, the spring again projecting the clearer forward and downward so soon as it is clear of such obstruction. It is necessary, however, that this clearer be sustained at a given point from the track, in order that the stock e may not turn or hang down below this point. A screw may be used for this purpose applied to each of the stocks of the track-clearers, but I prefer and use the cross-bar Z, extending from one stock to the other, and fitted with the stud 5, around which is a spring acting on this cross-bar Zto keep it down, and 6 is a nut on the end of this stud for regulating the distance to which the trackclearers may descend.

In cases where this device is connected to the bottom of the platform, the rise and fall of the car on its springs would cause the trackclearer to be heavily in contact with or entirely clear of the track. We therefore make use of a compensating movement applied to the track-clearers, which raises them as much as they would be depressed by the descent of the car, and vice versa.

m is a. lever having the axle n of the wheels b as its fulcrum, and connected about midway between the shaft d and the clearers f to the cross-bar Z. We have represented the end of this lever as setting over the stud 5. At the other end this lever m is connected by a stud, 7, to the bottom of the car.

The car being in a normal position, the nut 6 is adjusted until the clearers are very slightly raised from the track. Then the opposite end of this lever m is retained in position by set-nuts or washers on each side of the back end at the stud 7 the parts being left sufiiciently loose, however, to allow of the motion given to this end of the lever m by the rise and descent of the car on its springs.

As the stud 7 may press down one end of the lever m, the other is raised, which lifts the clearers in the correct proportion to the de scent of the car, so as to prevent said Scrapers bearing too hard on the track, and as the car rises on its springs the reverse movement takes place. A lever of this character might be applied on each side if the cross-bar l` were dispensed with. The spring around thestud 5 acts to keep the clearers down, but will yield for them to rise if required. In order to raise this track-clearer when passing switches, running on turn-tables, or when the car is going backward, we provide the rod o with a T-head. The lower end of this rod passes through an eye or an arm projecting from the crossbar l, and the T-head is in a socket, p, in the floor or platform a. In this socket are two vertical grooves, s, receiving the ends of this T-.head, and allowing the same to descend to the bottom of the socket; but when the driver or attendant by hand or a hook draws up this rod o the track-clearer is lifted bodily, and by turning the T-head partly around into short notches 9 theparts are held in this elevated position.

A cover, q, may be fitted to this socket p.

` This track-clearer acts in manner aforesaid and yields and rises when throwing of any obstruction, and overrides the ends of rails or other fixed parts, and is not broken in so doing. This device also is a wheel-protector, as it would push away a persons hand or foot, or remove a child in case of a fall in front of the car.

What we claim,`and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

`1. A track-clearer fastened upon the end of a slide that is inclined backward and upward, and fitted with a spring, or its equivalent, substantially as specified, whereby the said track-clearer rides over and clears the ends of rails or other rigid parts with which it may come in contact, as set forth.

2. The stocks e and boxes h, constructed as specied, in combination with the track-clearers f and sliding rods g, as set forth.

3. The lever m, in combination with the track-clearers f, said lever being tted and acting as and for the purposes specified.

4. The rod o and socket p, in combination with the track-clearers ff, for the purposes and as specied.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set' 

